Nintendo Emulator Sneaks onto App Store Disguised as Novelty App

Don't be surprised if a simple app named "MyStache" suddenly makes it to the top of the App Store's charts by the end of the day; as reported by 9to5 Mac, the app ostensibly does little more than help you add a mustache on a photo, but in reality it serves as an emulator for ROMs for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super Nintendo, and the GameBoy.

It's not hard to see how the app slipped past Apple's notoriously strict app reviewers. The emulator segment isn't even visible with the core app; instead, it shows up when you upload Nintendo ROMs (or read-only memory game files) to your iPhone via iTunes file sharing as a small red button. Press it, and presto, you have what looks somewhat like an early GameBoy button setup on your screen.

As of the time of writing, MyStache is still up on the App Store for $1.99, but we don't expect it to be up much longer. As 9toMac points out, this isn't the first time clandestine emulators such as MyStache have made their way into the App Store--in one of the previous cases, the designers disguised it as an "Awesome Baby Names" apps. Update: MyStache is no longer available and appears to have been pulled from the App Store.

If this keeps up, maybe it'll nudge Nintendo to deliver what many mobile game enthusiasts have always wanted: classic NES and SNES games available straight on our phones. Don't bet on it, though.